Chapter 1: 1 – THE TRADE

Emergency Room

June 3^rd X281

 

The old man quietly died in his seat. The only one who noticed was a seven-year-old girl named Florian Lilly Cobblestone.

An hour earlier, Florian and her family had rushed to the hospital. She sat in the back seat of the car with her mother as her father drove quickly. Her mother was writhing in pain. A dog, an iguana, and a teddy bear sat in the passenger seat, stressed all the same.

Florian was a short kid with black hair, a faded pink jacket, and tattered jeans.

“The lizard is laying an egg!” Florian said.

“Not now!” her father said.

Florian realized the severity of the situation from her father’s expression. She adjusted her glasses and leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder. The iguana and the dog stared.

Arriving at the emergency room, Florian froze. Nurses opened the car door with arms covered in veins, stone, and talons, grasping Florian’s mother and placing her in a wheelchair. Standing tall at the nurses’ sides were creatures at the ready, stained with blood. One covered in rubble and debris pushed the wheelchair. The other beast had hair falling out—its thin skin and veins were visible. It coiled its meaty arms around Florian’s mother, embracing her head and stomach.

“Wait. . .” Florian could barely utter the words as her heart sank at the sight of the monstrosities. She scurried out of the car, clutching her teddy bear. She could only watch as they escorted her mother away.

The iguana hopped out of the car, eager to follow its owner.

“No, not you too? Please don’t go,” Florian said.

The iguana looked back at Florian. It nodded, almost as if reassuring her.

The nurses moved efficiently, admitting her mother into the hospital. The iguana followed, not too far behind the wheelchair.

Florian turned to her father. “Dad, don’t let them take Mom.”

“Mom will be just fine. They will take good care of her.”

Florian, at eye level with her father’s dog, noticed its tail wag calmly. Florian’s gut told her to trust her father’s words. The two held hands as they entered the hospital.

The emergency room was filled with a murky haze, chock full of people who were sick or injured. Patients, each next to beasts, were waiting in turn, coughing, snarling, bleeding, bruised, moaning, or gasping.

The air made Florian quiver as she clung to her father.

“Dad, what’re those?” Florian asked.

“Those are patients, Flo. Let’s find a seat, shall we?”

“You can’t see them?” But Florian was talking only to herself.

Mangled beasts moaned in pain. A hunched camel covered in embers and ash lay alongside a woman facing the floor. A bird was missing one of its wings. A pig with an exposed bone stood next to a man in a wheelchair. By the entrance, a glaring wolf guarded the door. Slipping through the walls was a large bony tail swaying from one side of the room to the other. A haze spewed from the head of a dried-out horned eel lying motionless on the floor. Dying slowly, the animals cried in agony. Florian couldn’t avoid the internal screams. She’d never seen this many gathered in one place. So many, they bled through the walls. So many, she couldn’t identify which belonged to whom.

Except for one pair sitting alone. An old man, sound asleep, bundled up in layers of dirty old tattered clothing. He had a gray beard, eyes tucked in his skull, and was foul-smelling. Next to him was a giant conch with claws that drooped out from inside. Slime spewed outward from its cracking shell, crumbling slowly, as if no longer safe for what was inside.

Florian and her father sat a few rows in front of him. The dog sat beside them.

Florian didn’t utter a word as she stared at the beasts. She wrapped herself in her jacket and tucked her head away. Peeking every now and then, she checked on her father.

“Flo, what’s the matter?” her father asked as they were surrounded by ghouls.

Florian remained silent. She just stared at her father with his peaceful smile.

“What’s wrong? You can tell me.” He hugged his pink jacket-wrapped burrito daughter.

Florian let out a slight groan. She peeked through the jacket to see her father and all the other creatures staring back. Shrouded, they scurried around. They silently crept closer with concern. She pulled away from her father’s grip and huddled in the corner of the emergency room.

Her father didn’t say anything. The dog followed Florian and curled up next to her, never leaving her side.

The creatures soon loomed about once again, following the patients and nurses around the hospital.

Florian closed her eyes and clutched her teddy bear. She could hear a faint whisper from the sleeping old man.

“I’m a citizen of Tarot Tori City.” The old man shivered.

Florian opened her eyes and turned to the old man sitting a dozen seats away.

“I’m a citizen of Tarot Tori City,” he whispered again, eyes closed, talking in his sleep.

The five-foot conch next to him shook and trembled. The bony claws fell to the floor, detached from what was inside, and started evaporating.

“I’m a citizen of Tarot Tori City.” The last of his words leaked out as he became stiff. The conch cracked in two and evaporated.

The old man quietly died in his seat. No one noticed, except for Florian, witnessing his final words.

Florian ran to her father. She covered her head with her jacket and trembled. Her father and the dog reassured her everything was fine.

A few hours passed.

“Wake up, Flo. We can see Mom now. Come on,” Florian’s father said.

The old man behind them, along with the conch split in two, was no longer there.

Florian was half-asleep as she followed her father. His dog was a step ahead of them, almost as if leading the way.

Fangs protruded from the floor and ceiling. Jowls engulfed the entire hallway. The walls salivated and parasitically pulsated against each person walking through. An unwelcome territory.

Florian stopped before entering the salivating corridor. Already deep inside, her father and his dog led the way without hesitation. Anxious not to get left behind, Florian stepped over the rows of teeth. She splashed through the puddles of drool and ran to her father.

“There is nothing to be afraid of,” he said.

As Florian walked down the hallway with her father, she witnessed many people and creatures. She passed rooms with silent patients, hollering patients, and sleeping patients. She covered her ears and marched along with her father.

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Florian cautiously headed toward her mother’s room, descending deeper in the bowel full of monsters.

She walked past a blood-covered possum, a stern doctor, a hissing shark, a bandaged horse, a man with crutches, and a padded beaver.

They stopped at a giant jellyfish engulfing an elevator. Inside, a nurse was holding the door for the family to board.

Her father entered the jellyfish and pressed the elevator button. Florian stopped in her tracks.

“Come on. What’s the matter?”

Florian wanted to see her mother, no matter what. She stared at the wall of jelly and slowly stepped forward. Closing her eyes, Florian jumped to her father.

She didn’t open her eyes until they exited the elevator.

 

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They arrived at her mother’s room.

“See, Mom is just fine.”

Florian’s mother was in bed, holding something. Florian stepped closer.

At that moment, everything else didn’t matter.

“What’s wrong? Surprised? Will you help me protect her forever?” Florian’s mother asked.

It was a baby—a little sister. She was tiny, delicate, silent, and heavenly. She was wrapped in a blanket, cradled in her mother’s arms.

“Her name is Hope,” her mother said.

A faint chirping sound came from the baby. Florian inspected the baby, and within its small grasp was an egg slowly cracking open. A pure white dove poked its head out from the egg. The eggshell split in two, sprinkling out of the baby’s hand, disappearing as it fell. Wings sprouted, transparent, flapping and stretching. Its beak opened wide calmly, innocently, and it held a gentle gaze.

Florian hesitated for a moment. On its tail was a seashell. The seashell was giant enough for the dove to take refuge, much like the old man with the conch shell who had died in the waiting room.

The baby didn’t cry. It remained sound asleep.

First, there was an iguana, a dog, and now a seashell dove.

That day, Florian lost her teddy bear but found her little sister.

 

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Meanwhile, at the Tarot Tori City Airport, the mayor of Tarot Tori City, William Rite Banquet, opened the airport security room door with a bright, exciting smile.

“Oh, sorry about detaining you. It won’t happen again.”

In his early thirties, Mayor Banquet, blond and tall with a slim build, wore a green suit with not a single wrinkle. He walked with confidence, and his smile was welcoming yet somewhat stoic.

“You see, when I heard you were arriving in Tarot Tori City, I just had to meet you in person. Believe it or not, I’m a huge fan of your work.”

Mayor Banquet shook the hand of the mysterious detainee. Smirking yet somewhat smug.

“Just kidding. Oh, don’t worry; I’m honored you have taken an interest in this peaceful sanctuary for ghosts. Of course, haha, speaking figuratively.”

The detainee was not amused and remained silent.

“Jokes aside, this city is definitely a humble one. Please allow me. I, as mayor, welcome you to Tarot Tori City. You might think that’s Territory City, but it’s spelled T-a-r-o-t, like the deck of cards, and T-o-r-i, which holds many architectural and botanical meanings. It also means bird in another language. This city is growing, soaring to new heights if you will.”

The mayor’s bravado didn’t falter. It, in fact, intensified with every hand gesture. Mayor Banquet bowed slightly.

“Please enjoy the lovely sights of the most efficient city in the world. In less than two generations, we minimized its ecological footprint and maximized its efficiency. This city is leading the world in every category of infrastructure, economy, optimized power sources, transportation, education, and health care. Also, who could forget the low crime rate? Haha.”

Mayor Banquet paused and checked his phone. Only news like this would break this man’s speech.

“It’s a shame. We just lost one of our oldest beloved citizens this afternoon. He’ll be missed. I’ll pay my respects properly when I get the chance.”

The detainee didn’t utter a word.

The mayor rechecked his phone. “On a brighter note, it seems we have a new resident besides you. The hospital reported another healthy newborn. Isn’t it just great! So many new citizens in one day!”

The detainee stood up.

Security immediately rushed into the room, barking orders.

“Now, now, everyone. Settle down.”

The detainee only glared at the mayor with his deep demonic eyes.

“What’s that? How did I know you weren’t just a sightseer? I’m the mayor, after all. I love this city. A little too much.”

The detainee slowly sat back down. Security exited the room soon after.

“I have just one rule before you are free to go. Not a single soul. If I lose a single citizen connected to you in any way, I’ll get distracted.” Mayor Banquet clapped his hands just once. “Now that’s settled, have fun. I’m so excited. Don’t forget to play nice with your new neighbors.”

Mayor Banquet left with a brighter smile than he had brought with him.

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